It's all been said - everything

At this price - none

I began my search for a sub shortly after purchasing my main speakers, Monitor Audio Silver 5's. Originally, I planned on buying the MA 210 sub. However, after becoming interested in DIY, I stumbled upon the ACI "secret." After reading many reviews and gaining much information from the DIY community, I decided on the Titan II kit for $599.

This is a decision I will never regret! Wow! The sub quickly took it's place among my Monitors and added that foundation that can only be described as articulate, and real. It sounds like I've added a real musical instrument to my system, a real bass guitar, bass drum, organ, etc.

Believe all the "five star" ratings here, beware of the two jokers below. . . competition more than likely.

Bottom line: not the lowest or loudest, but one of the best overall. Five starts, top to bottom. If this baby doesn't put a grin on your face, I'll eat my woofer.

Similar Products Used:

JBL, Polk, Velodyne, Infinity

Performance, musicality, power, value, looks

Doesn't have a snob name

This is THE sub to buy for music and HT setups where quality is as important or more important than pure quantity. IF you want seamless integration with your mains, this is the standard. The only other subs that come close are the Vandys, RELs and Aerials. The Vandys do a good job, but do not play as loudly, look nearly as good, or "hide" as well sonically. The more expensive REL like the Stadium plays at about the same level but costs well over twice as much. The REL also does not seem as agile. The Aerial is better, not by a lot, but it will play significantly louder. At four times as much it should!
Did I mention that the Titan II LE is a drop dead gorgeous piece of furniture? As a quality end table, it is almost like you're getting the sub for free!
I'd be willing to bet those two nutcases below never even heard the Titan II. I sent them both emails, surprise, surprise, no such address. I guess ACI must be scaring some people! Take those two nuts out and you have a perfect 5.00 rating. Think about it. If you're looking for a great sub, this is it.

Similar Products Used:

REL, HSU, Velodyne, Vandersteen

Everything the buzz says, this is the sub

Long backorders

It's simple. All the great stuff you hear about this one is right on. It plumbs the depths while sounding like it fits right into the rest of your system. I didn't think I'd get a sub that would hook up with my Mag 1.6s but this one does the trick. Bass that has the definition and character of the real thing. This is no over priced boom box. Cabinets are a work of art. ACI staff is helful and friendly. Only problems are that you aren't likely to find any deals on used ones.I waited for over 6 months trying to get a deal on a used one, they just don't show up for sale! Ordering a new one you probably will have to wait. I waited almost a month and half for my walnut LE. Having lived with it, I would have waited way longer and pair way more. Get it, be happy!

Similar Products Used:

Rel StrataIII and StormIII, Vels various HGS series, various M&Ks, Sunfire

Unbeatable at anywhere near the price for music. Superb quality, superb company.

May not be the best choice for high-output HT

This is an absolute killer sub. Take note of what the first 17 reviews said. Then read the last two from Joe and Jason. Try to Email those two clowns, the Email will bounce back. Interesting they both posted about the same time with the same weak comments. I'm betting that neither of them even heard the Titan II! ACI must be making some people nervous. Too bad they have to resort to this kind of stuff. Judge the product on all the great mentions/reviews it has gotten. No, not perfect, but superb. You should try it and judge for yourself. The longer I've owned my pair, the more I appreciate and enjoy their sonic accuracy.

Similar Products Used:

Velodyne, Rel, HSU, earlier Titan

price. fast shipment. return policy

not as good as people state. doesnt deserve 5 star rating

Ok. after reading all the hype, I ended up ordering this sub to match with my ML HT setup. I got my local dealer to lend me their REL strata 3 subwoofer and I got a friends vandersteen sub. My wife was out of town for the weekend so I got 3 full days to A/B/C the subs.

To my suprise, I found that the vandersteen was the best match to my speakers. It was very smooth and easy to blend. second in line was the rel followed by the titan 2.

in terms of output, in my room, the vandersteen again outgunned everything. followed by the titan and then the rel.

just for kicks, I got another friends velodyne HGS sub, but there was no comparison. The HGS 18" did a good job for HT, but TERRIBLE for music.

In terms of price, the titan is OK, but since the vandersteen is about the same price, I dont think it is the best out there.

I would go for a new vandersteen, followed by a used REL (which can always be found on the web),followed then by a titan.

Therefore, I went ahead and ordered 2 vandersteen subs since my processor (citation) allows for stereo subs.

Similar Products Used:

rel strata3, vandersteen sub

Wonderful sound reproduction, gorgeous cabinet, responsive customer support. Excellent value.

none, except its size is too large for optimal placement in my restrictive setting; it still integrates well.

This is a review of the ACI Titan II LE, which came out this year (2001).
This is a wonderful subwoofer. It integrates easily with my Vandersteen 1c's that are deficient by themselves below 40-45 Hz with most recordings. I have the Vandersteens running full range, and the Titan II LE crossed over at about 40-45 Hz. I will soon try ACI's 65-Hz. high pass filters to limit the frequencies that my Vandersteen 1c's and poweramp have to deal with. I hope to improve the sound even more (hard to imagine) without an adverse impact on system integration.
It is several leaps above the Polks and the less-expensive Velodynes I heard. It is superior,in my setup, to the very fine Vandersteen subwoofer, because its much steeper crossover allows better integration and more flexible placement. The Vandersteen also adds a little boom to the sound (and until I heard the ACI Titan II LE, the Vandersteen 2wq would have recived my vote for the subwoofer that does that the least). The Titan II LE reproduces the sound that is fed to it without any coloration that I can detect and no overhang.
I use it mostly for a wide variety of music. I usually have to turn it down a little with movies. (I am still getting used to all the low frequency effects that they put into movies these days!)
My wife encouraged me to get the subwoofer when she saw pictures on the ACI website. The cabinet is even more beautiful when you see it up close. It fits in with our elegant furniture (I got the natural oak).
The people at ACI are very helpful.
If I had wood working equipment and the requisite skills, I would have bought the Titan II LE as a kit, which would have not been the unbeatble bargain that my factory-assembled version is; it would be a steal.

Similar Products Used:

Listened to Vandersteen 2wq, various Polks, Velodynes

incredibly clean, tight bass output that works wonderfully w/music; blends in seamlessly with even fussy speakers; attractive design and solid build; great value

slightly "polite" sound, not the last word in high output and explosive dynamics (may not be best choice for home theater), but still damn good in those regards for the money

A lot of times you'll see products on audioreview.com with consistent 5-star ratings but aren't all that they're piped up to be (I won't name names), but this subwoofer is the real deal. Everything that's been said here is very accurate - this is an incredibly musical-sounding subwoofer that works in a wide variety of systems. I ordered the latest 2001 Titan II LE model in maple finish just a couple weeks after it came out, and thus got the introductory pricing.

It is a sealed-box design, which means it does not have the extra-bass-output-for-free of a ported system; thus, there are probably subwoofers out there around the same price that can boom a little louder than the Titan. That said, this is a "quality over quantity design," with none of the boominess usually associated with inexpensive models. It includes a 250W internal amp and a very flexible low-pass crossover with two independent continuously-variable frequency controls, each with a 12dB/octave slope. Line-level inputs are provided along w/external speaker-level adapters, and a "theater-direct" input allows you to bypass the level and crossover controls. Build quality is excellent, and the real hardwood finish is very attractive.

Out of the box, the sound is not bad, but nowhere near the potential of the unit - give it a good 50+ hours of solid break-in time before evaluating critically. After the first 10 - 20 hours you will start to hear pitch definition really come into its own and dynamics begin to open up. After a full break-in, bass sounds deep, well-defined, and quick - there is no overhang or slowness of response. It will not break your windows and flap your pants legs at 20Hz like the Krell Reference Sub (what a beast), but it will play deeply and loudly enough to adequatly fill a moderately large room. With music, I think it has few equals up to even twice its price. With movies the bass is similarly outstanding, though its output stresses low distortion over room-shaking ability, and movie explosions at times can sound a tad reserved. However it's difficult for me to tell if the subwoofer or upstream components (e.g. surround sound processor) are at fault - I've never had this kind of low-frequency resolution in my system before so evaluating the overal sound has become a whole new ball game. Still, to some ears there may be better home theater subs out there that provide a little more bang and output (maybe the Hsu units?), but I have not heard better overall definition of bass from a sub anywhere near this price. Whether listening to orchestra music, organ, jazz, or pop, the Titan's accuracy and control is outstanding; it is so well-controlled and free of distortion artifacts that it will not interfere with the purity of the lower midrange of your main speakers. In fact, if anything the midrange of my system seems even cleaner and more open, even without a high-pass filter for my mains. Again, at times it can tend toward the "polite" side and lack a bit of "slam," but it is never strained or compressed unless pushed to its limits. Speaking of which, the 250W amp provides plenty of clean output, though disco freaks need not apply - at very high levels the protection circuitry kicks in and keeps output reasonable. For those who need more output and slam w/o sacrificing quality, a stereo pair of Titans should provide plenty of bass and may be just the ticket.

Compared to the also highly-regarded REL Strata, the Titan strikes me as having better definition and being tighter-sounding overall. The REL was not bad when I tried it, but I simply could not get it to blend better with my Merlin TSM mains, which have an extremely tight, critically-damped bass (they're also sealed-box). Notes from the REL always seemed to lag behind, and even with the fairly good crossover on the REL I could hear lumps in the integration between the two. With less critically-damped mains, i can see the REL working well, but in my system the Titan was far easier to integrate. ACI advertises the Titan as being fast and clean enough to integrate with even fussy planar speakers, and my experience with it leaves me with nothing to doubt their claims.

So in summary, this is a great sub! For music I know of nothing that comes close for the price, and its shortcomings are those of ommission, not commission - DEFINITELY the way to go with a subwoofer in my book. Fast, clean, accurate, good-looking, affordable - you can't really ask for much more.

Similar Products Used:

Velodyne CT-100 (crap), REL Strata III

Clean, detailed output. Enough output for HT, tight, detailed, clean, and tight enough for music. Beautiful, well-built cabinet. Endless choices of crossover/phase options.

The audioc.com website pictured floor spikes with the pictures of the Titan II, but they are not included. The crossover and phase potentiometers are small and difficult to read without an optimum viewing point.

Before deciding on the Titan II, I was strongly considering the Definitive Tech PF15TL+ since my system was going to be used mostly for HT. I loved the output of the Def. Tech for movies, but it really lacked accuracy and speed for music. I do not like the old huge black box so many cheap subwoofers look like these days. The Def. Tech also experienced an occasional cabinet resonance problem between 30 and 40 Hz.

After auditioning the Def. Tech with mixed feelings about its performance and total disinterest in its styling, I decided to give the Titan II its 30-day free trial.

The Titan II arrived at my door well packaged and free of any noticeable box damage. My first impression was of course of the solid weight of the Titan II. I got my Titan II in the clear cherry finish. The cabinet itself is a work of cabinetry art. The Titan II was simple to hook up and the crossover and phase options made it easy to blend in with my Paradigm Studio 40s. The user manual is well laid out and simple to follow.

From the reviews, I expected the Titan II to perform admirably for music and so-so for HT. Well, it did perform admirably for music, but it performed MUCH better than I expected for HT. The Titan II's output was equal to, if not more than, the Def. Tech (in my listening room). The Titan II's output was much cleaner, and there were absolutely zero cabinet resonance with the Titan II that disturbed me so much with the Def. Tech. Movie LFEs and soundtrack bass lines are unbelievably detailed and lifelike and the output is enough to shake my windows, and rattle my dishes. I was surprised so much by the output because the room in which it resides is less than optimal. It measures 13' X 28' with a 12' slopping ceiling. The room is also connected to an open kitchen, hallway AND foyer. So there is a lot of air space the Titan II has to fill, which it does it surprisingly well.

You can spend more money on the REL Strata III and get less HT performance; or you can spend twice as much on the Velodyne HGS-12 and get a VERY marginal HT performance improvement. But these two subs truly define diminishing returns. At $1000 the Titan II, in my opinion, offers the best sub value overall in the market at this time. It has everything avid movie watchers could want yet it still retains the musicality audiophiles demand. Throw in a highly spouse approvable cabinet and you just can't beat the Titan II.



Associated Equipment:

SonyES – STR-DA50ES
Panasonic DVDX-410
Sony CDP-C735 (as transport)
Paradigm Studio Reference 40 (mains)
Paradigm Studio CC (center)
ACT B-Flat in-walls (surround)
ACI Titan II subwoofer
DH Labs Silver Sonic T-14 bi-wires to mains and center
DH-Labs D-75 Digital coax for DVD
Hisago Fiber Optic for CD
Streetwires Musica 500 interconnect to subwoofer (surprisingly good bass detail)

Similar Products Used:

Definitive Tech PF15TL+, Paradigm PW-2200, Polk PSW650, Velodyne HGS-12, REL Strata III

Very tight big bass. Very good amp.

Construction drawing could have been more detailed.

I ordered the Titan II kit which was delivered promply and very well packed. ACI threw in free points and split the shipping with me. Nice touch. I followed the construction requirements for the most part. You must keep internal volume to 1.9 cubic feet. The instructions call for 3/4 inch MDF but I wanted something more so I looked high and low for 1 inch MDF. No luck, so I glued and screwed 3/4 inch MDF together and got 1 1/2 inch thickness. It ways a ton and takes two guys to move it. As for the sound quality it is out of this world. I have had several other good subs (NHT, Polk) but this Titan II is in another league. It takes a while to break in and as with any subwoofer, placement is critical. This thing goes deep like I have never heard before and blends perfectly into my system. If you have some woodworking skill it is the only way to go. This is the last sub I will ever need. Easily a 5 rating.

Similar Products Used:

NHT, Polk

blends with main speakers perfectly, flexible crossover, plenty of power

very heavy (well, maybe that's my weakness)

I own Spica TC50 speakers, and I am very pleased with how they present music within their frequency range. They lack lower frequencies, however. For about 3 years I was thinking about buying a subwoofer, but I was worried that the sub would not be "transparent", and would ruin the overall sound of the Spicas. Based on reviews of the Titan and other speakers by ACI on this site, I decided to build the Titan II myself and get a better sounding sub within my price range.

ACI notified me within one day of my order (using their web site) that some of the parts were on back order and that I would not receive the shipment for two or three weeks. I asked them to send the manual and plans so that I could begin cabinet construction. They were very cooperative and sent these immediately. I have never built a speaker before, but the helpful information in the plans and on the web site allowed me to complete the project successfully (and carefully) in three weekends.

The Titan II sounds terrific with music and HT. After spending a couple of days (after break in) adjusting the location and crossover of the Titan II, it blended seamlessly with the Spicas. Everything that I like about the Spicas is still there, with the added lower frequencies that I was missing in the music. The Titan II easily fills my medium sized room with undistorted low frequency content while watching movies. (Movies used to have explosions and such, now they have low frequency content)

I would highly recommend the Titan II to anyone looking for a very musical subwoofer that can also "pump up the volume" during movies.

Similar Products Used:

listened to velodyne and paradigm products in $600-$700 range